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MDLIAN 5.1
HAS BEEN PERCEIVED AS A DELAY IN NAMING A SUCCESSOR. FOR EXAMPLE, THE HONG KONG STANDARD IN AN EDITORIAL ON 3 JANUARY DESCRIBED THE ANNOUNCEMENT AS ILL-TIMED. THE PAPER ARGUED THAT QUOTE THE PREMATURE ANNOUNCEMENT WITHOUT NAMING A SUCCESSOR WAS BOUND TO HAVE A DAMAGING AND DE-STABILISING EFFECT ON THE REMAINDER OF THE GOVERNOR'S TERM OF OFFICE UNQUOTE. IT WENT ON TO SAY THAT IT WAS HARD QUOTE TO AVOID THE CONCLUSION THAT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG HAD BEEN TREATED WITH A MARKED LACK OF RESPECT AND CONSIDERATION
BY THE MANDARINS OF WHITEHALL UNQUOTE A CRITICAL EDITORIAL ON THE GOVERNOR'S RETIREMENT IN THE GUARDIAN ON 4 JANUARY RECEIVED CONSIDERABLE ATTENTION IN THE LOCAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPERS ON 5 JANUARY.
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5. THE SUNDAY MORNING POST ON 5 JANUARY ALSO GAVE A VERY FULL AND ACCURATE ACCOUNT OF AN INTERVIEW WITH THE GOVERNOR IN WHICH HE SAID THAT IT WAS TOO EARLY TO DRAW A LINE UNDER HIS TERM OF OFFICE AND EMPHASISED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO SLACKENING OF HIS, OR HIS ADMINISTRATION'S, RESOLVE TO PROVIDE LEADERSHIP AND SOUND GOVERNMENT DURING HIS REMAINING MONTHS IN OFFICE. THE GOVERNOR SAID THAT HE WAS SURE THAT HONG KONG VIEWS WOULD BE LISTENED TO
WHEN A DECISION WAS MADE ON A SUCCESSOR. THE INTERVIEW WAS ALSO
TAKEN UP IN THE CHINESE LANGUAGE PRESS.
6. THE GOVERNOR TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED BY THIS INTERVIEW
TO REFUTE SPECULATION ABOUT THE RETIREMENT OF THE CHIEF SECRETARY. THESE RUMOURS BEGAN WITH A REPORT FROM THE EXPRESS'S
(THE HONG KONG CHINESE LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER NOT THE UK DAILY EXPRESS) LONDON STRINGER (JOHN ELLISON) TO THE EFFECT THAT THE
CHIEF SECRETARY WAS LIKELY TO LEAVE OFFICE BEFORE THE GOVERNOR.
THIS REPORT TRIGGERED A FLURRY OF RUMOURS AND SPECULATION WHICH SUBSIDED QUICKLY FOLLOWING THE GOVERNOR'S REMARKS AND A STATEMENT BY THE CS. EFFORTS HERE TO COUNTER THESE REPORTS WAS HELPED BY COMMENTS FROM AN FCO SOURCE WHO DESCRIBED THEM AS ABSURD AND RIDICULOUS.
7. ON 3 JANUARY A GOOD DEAL OF PRESS INTEREST WAS FOCUSED ON A
DECISION OF THE CO-OPERATIVE RESOURCE CENTRE (CRC) TO TABLE A
MOTION FOR DEBATE IN LEGCO CALLING ON THE GOVERNMENT TO COLLECT
LOCAL VIEWS ON THE APPOINTMENT OF THE NEXT GOVERNOR AND TO PASS THESE VIEWS ON TO LONDON. HOWEVER, SOME MEMBERS WERE DOUBTFUL ABOUT THE VALUE OF THE MOTION. THE PRO-PRC PRESS WERE VERY
DISMISSIVE OF THE PROPOSAL FOR A DEBATE. MOST OTHER COMMENTATORS WELCOMED IT.
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